A recent survey from Renewal Fellowship asked readers where their minds were at four months after the historic change in doctrine of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). It was hardly a scientific survey, but the responses mirrored what we’ve been hearing in conversations: In general, “We are staying in the PCC for now, while … Read more
Category: Blog
Drawing Guidance From Nature
Lessons from Squirrel Land. Picture a collection of old trees, filled with squirrels darting up and down the trunks and back and forth across the branches. They are frenetically active. Two squirrels are chasing one other with a walnut in its mouth. Theft? Covetousness? Fun and games? Squirrels just do what they are wired to … Continue reading Drawing Guidance From Nature
How Now Do We Talk?
The 2021 federal election marked a new low for civil discourse in postmodern times. Leaders being confronted by protesters from other parties is par for the course but hurling eggs and handfuls of gravel at them was something new. We should not be surprised. It was the logical next step from the online anger which … Continue reading How Now Do We Talk?
Fresh Focus for a New Season
I read a frightening statistic recently. "Only 29 per cent of Christians believe that reaching unreached people around the world is 'very urgent.' " It's a quote from the Barna Group, the American research firm which specializes in faith and culture. I don't believe that it's far from the truth. (It could be even worse in Canada.) It holds up against recent research. In 2017, Barna asked churchgoers … Read more
Departure Gate, Destination Unknown
Precisely 60 seconds after the adoption of Remit ‘C’ by General Assembly, which allowed the call, election and ordination of those in same-sex partnerships, a motion was made to investigate the establishment of a separate theological synod for those who adhere to traditional standards. The timing spoke volumes. … Read more
Hungarian Congregations Speak Out
What’s inclusive for some is having the opposite effect for others. A group of Hungarian Presbyterian congregations is the latest to go on the record about feeling excluded by the ongoing liberal theological drift in The Presbyterian Church in Canada. “We sadly observe and experience that our beloved Church … Read more
PresbyCan at a Quarter Century
As the world enters a second year of physical distancing and restricted travel, PresbyCan Daily Devotionals promise to become more important than ever. For many devoted readers, the online ministry is a vital daily dose of scriptural wisdom. As some readers attest, this ministry has kept ... Read more
Support For Anti-Racism Petition
Support is growing for the landmark petitions by Korean-speaking congregations which accuse The Presbyterian Church in Canada of racism by "demonizing" ethnic congregations. This week, a coalition of Chinese congregations, known as the Chinese Consultation, issued a statement in support of the petitions. "We thank the members of the Han-Ca Presbyteries for calling attention to the … Read more
Voices in the Wilderness
Strike up the band – a renewed chorus of overtures is coming to General Assembly. There's nothing new about overtures in response to our theological differences. For several years, those in orthodoxy have called for a restatement of our traditional understandings. Or, in the face of inevitable change, they've requested more time to study the issues and the ability of congregations to leave the fold. … Read more
Putting The Bite Back Into The Apple
Sometimes it is mind-boggling to realize that just one year ago the word ‘pandemic’ evoked pleasant images of a happy evening playing a co-operative board game with family and friends. During this past 12 months many, many ordinary people have demonstrated admirable qualities of passion, perseverance and personal sacrifice as they have risen to the … Continue reading Putting The Bite Back Into The Apple
The Future is Nothing Like the Past
A review of "Canoeing the Mountains - Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory" by Tod Bolsinger. Canoeing the Mountains Truth be told, I dismissed this book without reading a single page. It was a freebie, handed out at the PCC Pastor’s Conference back in 2019, which screamed “remainder bin.” And the title — way too cute. … Continue reading The Future is Nothing Like the Past
The Next Big Thing
Anniversaries are a great opportunity to press pause and take stock. We look back and note how a watershed moment has changed our world. Sept. 11 is the big one. There’s also Nov. 22, if you’re old enough to remember. And now we have March 11, the day in 2020 when the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 global pandemic. One year later ... Read more
Dear Presbyters
Questions are like tools. Good quality instruments used with skill and care can loosen the machinery and allow a glimpse into the soul of a machine. Or a person. So it is with the question and answer section of the 2021 General Assembly moderator nominee profiles. Kudos to whoever developed this skillful line of questioning, which starts with the comfortable ... Read more
Stillness to Prevent Illness
"Where is God in all this?" If there's a defining theological question for these times, that's it. In any time of crisis, we search for meaning. Do a search of sermon titles preached in the wake of 9-11 and odds are that is what you will find. In 1938, Rev. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was called to the pulpit at Westminster Chapel ... Read more
A Year-End/New Year’s Message
An Ideological Barrier
Recently, PCC denominational staff announced a workshop entitled “Rainbow Pathways: exploring LGBTQi2 welcome and inclusion.” It will be led by two individuals: a pastor and social worker who identify as a “Queer Trans Masculine person of faith” and a “femme lesbian.” Here’s an opportunity to hear first-hand how others think, I thought ... Read more
Victory On The “Losing” Side
As we wait for the next General Assembly, many of us in PCC orthodoxy are praying, listening, discussing, discerning, and planning. It appears that a future General Assembly will approve the proposed parallel definitions of marriage in which “faithful, Holy Spirit-filled, Christ-centred, God-honouring people can understand marriage as a covenant relationship between a man and ... Read more
Where Are All the Disciples?
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched a lot of church people in a lot of ways. It continues to poke and prod and forces us to examine and re-examine who we are and how we do church. Even why. In all the busyness of doing church and worship differently since March, I’ve become a tech ... Read more
Unmasking the Essential Issue
I don’t like wearing a mask. I don’t like the fog produced on eyeglass lenses. Fiddling with elastic straps is a pain. I hate how the straps sometimes get into a battle with my precious (and pricey) hearing devices, causing them to come loose. I don’t need yet another impediment to the effective enunciation of ... Read more
Idols In Every Church
As statues come down and teams change their names during this summer of unrest, I wonder about the monuments and memorials in our own churches. It’s good that people are noticing the names and histories behind all those centrepieces in our public squares. Until now, it was only history buffs who paid any attention ... Read more